Engaging in Breaking

News CoverageSteve Buttry

Bay Area News GroupSept. 19, 2012

#twutorial

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Ways to engage• Report the unfolding story on social

media• Crowdsource: Ask what people saw,

heard, experienced, shot• Search for eyewitnesses• Find community content• Curate the community’s story

• Watch for videos getting attention (will often see links, mentions on Twitter, Facebook)

• Search keywords on YouTube• Embed in stories, blogs

• Interview by video Hangout, stream live on YouTube (embed in story or blog post)

• Find sources on breaking news stories (Trentonian used to ID homicide victim)

• Posting story boosts search results

• Search keywords• Connect for interviews (&

more photos)• Ask permission to use• Ask about altering of

photo, filters used

• “Mayor” may be source about a business or venue (employee or customer)

• See who has checked in at venue of breaking news story

• Did anyone report something on a tip?• Break story w/ Foursquare “shout”

Other location tools• Banjo• Geofeedia• GatheringPoint

• Effective curation of Sikh temple shooting

• Obama answered questions• Search at searchreddit.com

• Lots of people belong• Search by keywords to identify potential

sources• Can send brief message asking for

interview or confirmation

• Best place to look for people in breaking news stories (can send a message)

• Much content is private• Crowdsourcing (ask on their pages as

well as yours)• Ask for permission to use photos

Searching Facebook:• Use advanced search (click in empty

search window, hit enter)• Click people, pages to narrow by

location, biz pages, etc.• Search Google: “site:Facebook.com” then

search term (show search tools)Tips from Jason McDonald, JM Internet Group

Before the big story breaks• Follow lots of local people (location

search, replies, retweets, check followers)

• Join local conversation• Master Twitter search (advanced)• Promote local #hashtag taxonomy

(#okstorm, #tcunews)• Use Twitter routinely on your beat

Before the big story breaks• Build local following • Join local conversation• Master Twitter search (advanced)• Promote local #hashtag taxonomy

(#okstorm)• Use Twitter routinely on your beat

When the big story breaks• Twitter Search

(advanced)• Connect w/ witnesses• Crowdsource• Tweet early & often• Seek verification• Address rumors (say

what you don’t know)• Seek photos

• Converse• Answer questions• Thank contributors• Promote fresh content• Link to new reports

(even competitors’)• Be human (fun where

appropriate)

Crowdsource

Crowdsource

Say what you don’t know

Storytelling tweets

Key facts

Unfolding story

Tweet photos

Vetting tweeps, verifying info• Check full Twitter stream, profile• Connect on phone, in person• Check location (not 100% reliable)• Others verifying? Clusters, not echos• Photos? • Other sources, other tweeps• Ask, “How do you know that?”

More on verificationCraig Silverman tips:

http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/eight_simple_rules_for_doing_a.php

Mandy Jenkins tips:http://zombiejournalism.com/2011/09/b-s-detection-for-journalists

/

NPR’s Andy Carvin

“I think curation has always been a part of journalism; we just didn't call it that.” – quoted in The Atlantic by Phoebe Connelly

What is curation?Museum curator:• Studies topic• Chooses relevant

content (other sources & museum collection)

• Authenticates• Groups related items• Provides context• Presents exhibit

Journalism curator:• Studies topic• Chooses relevant

content (social media, blogs, staff)

• Authenticates• Groups related items• Provides context• Presents collected

content

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